Combined closure and gauge rod for oil tanks



' March 18, 1930. A. M. MALLUK 1,750,849

' v COMBINED CLOSURE AND GAUGE ROD FOR OIL TANKS Filed Sept. 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l l/4i 4 1H L IN V EN TOR. Has/40M Mn A 0K 1M4 TTORNEYS.

March 8, 0- A. M. MALLUK Z I 1,750,849

COMBINED CLOSURE AND GAUGE ROD FOR OIL TANKS Filed Sept. 6, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 45 540%41 4 0/,

- A TTORNEYS.

Patented 33.8 193dmidfi ld PATENT @llFlfiE- ASSAD M, MALLUK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR 'IO STANDARD LOCK AND MEASURE CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A C$RPORATION OF NEW YG'RK COMBINED CLOSURE AND-GAUGE BOD 01L TANKS Application filed September 5, 1928. Serial No. 304,224.

mitting the unhindered use of a gauge rod in the neck.

Oil companies selling nationall advertised brands of gasoline lose annua ly thousands of dollars in business and good will through the practice of unscrupulous dealers of adding spurious and inferior gasoline to their service tanks and selling this counterfeit oil as the well-known product of the company. To guard against this loss the companies would undoubtedly lock their tanks were it not for the fact that the service station operator must be permitted, from time to time to measure the gasoline in the tanks. This is done almost universally by inserting a gauge rod through the filling neck, so that if the closure on this neck were locked it would obviously be. impossible to gauge the tank and the service station operator would be put to a very serious inconvenience. According to the present invention 1 have overcome this difliculty by mounting a gauge rod in the filling neck and providing a lockable r closure which can be opened and closed inde-' pendently of the rod, the arrangement permitting the operator to measure freely the contents of his tank but making it impossible for him to add bootle gasoline in defraud of the rights of the pn lie and the company under whose name he is selling.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated two preferred embodiments of my invention. In these drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the closure show a ing an over-all cap in section; the view is taken along line 1-1 of Figure 3;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken along line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken along line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken along line M of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective of the closure illu'strated in the preceding figures with the over-all cap removed and the cover open;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1, but

showing the use of a combination lock, and

Figure 7 is avertical section taken along line 77 of Figure 6. I

The closure illustrated is primarily intended for use on gasoline service tanks but can, of course, be used on any tank containing liquid which must be measured from time to time but which should be sealed against unauthorized additions. Practically every gasoline service tank in'use is provided with a single fill opening usually inthe form of a neck extending vertically upward from the tank. in the drawings such a neck is illustrated at. 1. It is provided with athreaded mouth 2 of standard size on which an ordinary screw threaded cap is usually mounted. When the closure of the present invention is used this cap is permanently removed.

The closure of the present invention comprises first a threaded collar 3 adapted tobe vided with a second annular shoulder 6, upon which rests, when closedythe cover 7. This cover is hinged to the collar at 8,,and permanently connected thereto, in the form illustrated, by means of a pin 9. The cover is provided with a lock comprising a barrel 10, a pin 11', and a bolt 12,-the latter extending, when thejcover is locked, Within a recess 13 in the collar. .The bolt is normally urged into locked position by means of a spring 14. The pin 9 lies within wide slot 15'in'the bolt which is of suflicient size to permit the cover to close when the bolt is in locked position,

the bolt snapping into the recess 13 when the way adapted to receive'this gauge rod 18. This gauge. rod is preferably of metal, and is.

when the cover is locke'd, the cover is pro-,

yided with a slot 21 cut normal to the axis of the hinge 8 so that the cover eanbe raised and lowered with the rod in place. It will be noted thatthe guide block 16 lies immediately below this slot and thus,- with the 'rod, completely seals it whenthe cover is closed, making impossible the unauthorized addition of liquid to the tank. g I

The cover and red are both enclosed by a screw-threaded cab mounted upon thecollar, are making a gas and liquid-ti ht seal therewith by means of gasket 23. The capis seaired to the collar by means ofa chaiii 24 extending froin the collar to a sliding ring 25 on the cap. Y I Gasoline tanks are commonly filled by a hose from the taiik wagon terminating'in a nozzle whieh is inserted within the filling neck. Sometimes, however, a threaded union. is made with the neck. Touse such a .connection with my closure it would be necessary only toremove the cover and to do this the 9 can be eliminated and the cover lifted out. a

In Figures 6' and 7 I have illustrated a modified form of closure in which the barrel lock illustrated in Figures 1, 2, e and 5 is replaced by means of a combination lock 26 providedwith a bolt 27. This closure functions in the same mann r as the one previously described. I

'It will beclear from the foregoing descrip tion that after the tank has been filled with genuine gasoline the cover 7 is locked and e key taken away by the tank wagon driver. The service tank operator therefore cannot gain access to the tank for the purpose of add- I claim:

l. A tank,- a filling neck thereon, a gauge rod within the neck, a lockable cover on the position,- a guidewa for the gauge rod supported by the collar below the cover, a slot in the cover for receiving the gauge rod so that the cover can be opened and closed without removing the rod and the rod used while the cover is closed, the guideway and gauge rod sealing the slot when the cover is closed thus making unauthorized additions of oil impossible; V g

3. A combined closure and gauge rod for oil taflks comprising the combination of a collar adapted to be fixedly mounted on the fillingmck of thetank, a guide block mounted within, the collar, 2, gauge rod slidable within the guide block, and a lockable cover mounted on the collar and provided with a slot through which the rod passes whereby the rod can be used when the cover is locked, the guide block serving to close that part of theslot not occupied by the rod and thus completely preventing-the unauthorized addition ofoil when the cover is locked.

' In testimony whereof'I afiix my signature,

ASSAD MALLUK.

ing aspurious product, while at the same time he is free to engage in the necessary and wholly legitimate practice of measuring the contents of his tank. v

My closure can be made and sold as a mm pact unit adapted to be mounted ori standard size filling necks of tanks now installed and in use and permits a continuation of the common practice of filling and measuring through a single fill opening while at the same time afiording complete protection to the oil companies without inconveniencing the service tank operators 

